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Sustainability in the Agri-Food Sector
Mark Brock
Grain Farmers of Ontario
Nick Betts
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 1
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“We live today in an age of sustainababble, a cacophonous
profusion of uses of the word sustainable to mean anything from
environmentally better to cool.”
• Robert Engelman World Resources Institute (2013)
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Confidential 3
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SAI Platform
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"Sustainable agriculture is the efficient production of safe, high quality agricultural
products, in a way that protects and improves the natural environment, the social and
economic conditions of farmers, their employees and local communities, and
safeguards the health and welfare of all farmed species."
Sustainability: What is it?
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Sustainability may be defined as a values-laden umbrella concept about the way in which the interface between
environment & society (including its institutions & individual members) is managed to ensure that human needs are met without destroying the life supporting
ecosystems on which we depend.
What is sustainability?
Wayne Visser (2010)
‘The A-Z of CSR’
Animal Welfare
Anti-corruption Community Involvement & Philanthropy
Consumer Health, Safety, Privacy, or Support
Education or Culture Employee Ethics
Employment Creation
Fair competition Capacity-Building
Pollution Prevention
Clean Technology
Climate Change
Fair Taxation
Gender
Diversity & Non-discrimination
Sustainable Resource Use
Human Rights & Security
Intellectual Property & Access to Technology
Environment Governance & Risk
Public Health
Fair Supplier Relations
Fair Marketing
Labour Practices
Political Involvement
Social Development
Human Development Work Health & Safety
(Economic Inequality)
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Unclassified – Not to be Reproduced
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Chemical Factors
Biological Factors
Physical Factors
Soil Quality
Air Quality Water Quality
Environmental Quality
Economic Viability
Social Responsibility
Soil Quality Environmental Quality Agricultural Sustainability
Evolution of Agricultural Sustainability Concept
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Unclassified – Not to be Reproduced
Where are your “natural values”?
Economic
Environmental Social
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Unclassified – Not to be Reproduced
If you’re profit-oriented…
Economic
Environmental Social
Profit/loss of operation
Operation capacity and long-term availability of
resources
Product marketability and
demand
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Unclassified – Not to be Reproduced
If you’re environmentally-oriented…
Economic
Environmental Social
Ensuring continued funds to sustain your
activities
Maintaining and decreasing impact on environment
Ability to communicate your message and your
example
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Unclassified – Not to be Reproduced
If you’re socially-oriented…
Economic
Environmental Social
Maintaining viable business for the
future
Fostering support for the next generation
Ability to engage with the community (local,
regional, or global)
Farmer’s Perspective on
Sustainability
• As Grain Farmers of Ontario
• As a National Crop sector value chain
• At the Farm gate
Social and Consumer Acceptance
• What does this look like?
• How can this be achieved?
• How much scrutiny are we currently under?
• What happens when this gets off track?
Why are Grain Farmers of Ontario
involved in Sustainability?
• Market Access Demands
• Europe is a vital market for our commodities
• Currently, sustainability demands are becoming mandatory for
soybeans exported into the Netherlands and Belgium markets
• Providing our farmers with the tools and
resources to meet these demands
• Method to highlight the great practices farmers
are doing and better tell our story as farmers
Grain Farmers of Ontario
Sustainability Initiatives
• We have been involved in number of different sustainability
initiatives that position us well to adapt to ever changing
markets and customers
• Sustainability Comparison Project
• Canadian Field Print Initiative (CFPI) Field Calculator
• Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRCS)
• Roundtable for Responsible Soy (RTRS)
• Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI)
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops
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About the CRSC
History:
Initial Steering Committee was established to oversee Roundtable formation in Fall 2013
Terms of Reference ratified in November 2014
Executive Director hired in August 2015
AMP funding for Sustainability Metrics Platform Project approved September 2015
Vision: The Canadian Grains sector is recognized globally to be economically viable, socially responsible, and a leader in the adoption of environmentally sustainable production practices.
Current Membership:
40 confirmed members from across the Grains Value Chain
Role of the CRSC: Why we are here?
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Consumers are interested in knowing where food comes from and how it is produced
Demand to meet sustainability requirements continues to grow
Sustainability becoming a factor when sourcing products, both domestically and globally
Evidence of sustainability is needed to retain Social License & Public Trust and in some cases, to maintain Market Access
Industry needs science-based crop production sustainability indicators at the farm-level
Indicators must consider all aspects of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic
Industry wide effort is required including:
Producers need to continuously improve sustainable production practices
Food industry must provide ongoing input on market needs
Grains sector has a good news story to tell – who is telling it?
The role of the CRSC is to connect all sectors of the Grains Value Chain, to create solutions that have value for members, and to communicate with stakeholders.
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The CRSC’s Primary Deliverables
Canadian Statement of Grains Sustainability: Comprehensive statement of the field production sustainability indicators for grains in Canada Informed by the work of the CRSC’s Pilot Project; following a similar approach as used by the
CRSB, including a public consultation period and soliciting producer engagement Will use criteria/indicators/metrics informed by the work of that project team and that are
applicable to Canadian agricultural practices Timing: December 2016
Canadian Standard of Grains Sustainability:
More complete documentation regarding the sustainability of grains in Canada Informed by the work of the CRSC’s Sustainability Metrics Platform Project (ie. research
database) Will use criteria/indicators/metrics determined by a sub-committee of the CRSC and deemed to
be “core” to the CRSC (ie. will determine the degree they reflect that of global schemes) Will include a defined statement on certification or verification Majority of stakeholders’ programs, codes, and schemes should be able to use this Standard Timing: on-going work, with the final deliverable in Q3 2018
What does this mean for Ontario Farmers?
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• Ontario producers are or will be facing pressure to comply with global sustainability crop production practices and standards
• The CRSC Canadian Standard of Grains Sustainability will offer end users a ‘made in Canada’ alternative to meet their needs while reducing the Ontario farmer’s financial and time commitment for sustainability reporting and audits
• Producers will have a sustainability benchmark against which they can compare their operation they will have a clearer understanding of what farm
practices they can use in their operation to improve the sustainability of their crops and at the same time meet marketplace demands
A Balancing Act
• How do we balance agronomics and economics with societal
demands?
• How does sustainability play a role
• The Great Lakes water quality act
• Algae bloom on Lake Erie and Phosphorous
• Climate Change
• Carbon cap and trade system
Less of this…..
And more of this….
What’s the end goal?
• To balance agronomics and economics with consumer and
society’s desires
• Can’t have winners and losers
• To ensure that producers have the tools necessary to adapt
• To be proactive and not reactive
• Limit the amount of paperwork for everyone